Ghana's New Money

It took Anita Bryant and Erieka Bennett all of a day last May to earn their commission on what was supposed to have been a three-week gig. Together, Bryant and Bennett run the Bridge, a consultancy that helps African Americans who would like to invest in Africa navigate the continent's folkways, and they were trying hard to shepherd a delegation filled with prominent clients through Ghana without mishap. The delegation was celebrating the signing of a sister-city agreement between Washington and Accra. And while most of the entourage was excited about visiting the capital, no one would have mistaken them for ambassadors of Ghanaian culture.

Some delegates complained about the length of the tour. Others, having been honored with gifts of land and gold, never bothered to say thank you. Then when Bennett took the group to see the Asantehene--the king of Ghana's storied Ashanti tribe--there was little deference shown. A woman who was introduced to the king asked him for a glass of water and tried to sit next to him. "When you do business in Africa, you really need to know what to do," says Bryant. "You never shake someone's hand with your left. When you enter a room, you wait to be told where to sit."

It's an amazing kind of cultural clash if you think about it. Bryant set up her company two years ago, after she noticed the number of African Americans investing in Ghana was on the increase. And now those black Americans--successful entrepreneurs and corporate managers--were being told to kiss some royal butt. Ghana, a major source of human cargo during the slave trade, has been a favored destination for African Americans since it won independence from Britain in 1957. Those who make the pilgrimage often talk of an epic search for their roots and a grand narrative of Pan-Africanism. But increasingly, it's trade, investment and entrepreneurship anchoring those high ideals. Ghana's President John Kufuor has aggressively courted his country's long-lost cousins. Ghanaian government officials are contemplating a bill that would grant dual citizenship to African Americans who invest in Ghana or maintain a home there. Some native Ghanaians in the U.S. have started organizing tours for African-American businessmen. When they arrive, the guests are usually showered with gifts, and sometimes they are made honorary chiefs.

But the visitors are occasionally confronted by Ghanaians who regard them not as far-flung family but simply as foreigners. The Ghanaian government is working to change that attitude mostly because in African Americans they see investment possibilities and start-up capital that this country badly needs. Although Ghana is in much better shape than many other African countries, its GDP is $9.4 billion, or about $420 per capita, which ranks below most Asian countries. "The potential for economic impact is very significant," says Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Ghana's Minister for Tourism and Diasporan Relations. "As you look around now, you see the role African Americans are playing in the corporate world, as mechanical engineers, architects, doctors--right across the gamut."